A mobile device may exchange voice, data or other signals or information with other devices through communication sessions that involve network components, such as base stations. For instance, a first mobile device may transmit signals or information to a base station for forwarding to a second mobile device through a network. The second mobile device may actually be in close proximity to the first mobile device in some cases, although communication between the two devices may still take place through the network.
A mobile device operating in a cellular network may experience degradation in performance or user experience when the network becomes highly loaded with devices or traffic. The mobile device may also experience performance degradation, or even a loss of connectivity, when moving toward or beyond coverage boundaries of the network. Direct communication between mobile devices may alleviate these and other challenges, and therefore there is a need for such methods and techniques.